I have always been criticized for my African hair, for my African outfits, for the way I talk and for the way I present myself to others. Every time I would ask for feedback about my persona, it would always be based on the color of my skin and my appearance. I would never get an honest response based on my value and my potential, not even in my professional life.
As an African woman, I feel constantly underestimated and I’m rarely given the opportunity to prove myself. They don’t think I’m educated enough and it is unfair. I know I have to work three times as hard as anybody else to try to be someone in life. I take this personally and I put extra pressure on myself to achieve more. I want to open as many doors as possible for other African-American women that will come after me. We should not be discriminated against, we should be valued for who we are and for who we can be.